Right Time,Wrong Place
by Laurashley
Summary: I love you.' 'No you don't. Not really...'
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.  
  
'Officer!'  
  
'Catherine!'  
  
Chaos reigned in the interrogation room as all hell broke loose. A suspect had launched out of his seat just as Brass left the room to confer with the officer who had knocked at the door. He had lunged at Catherine who was caught unaware and both of them were tangled in a heap on the floor, with the 6'4" suspect straddling Catherine.  
  
'You b****, can't you just keep out of my damn business?' the suspect yelled as he raised his fist, preparing to land a punch on the struggling CSI beneath him.  
  
Meanwhile, Grissom, who had been watching in the other room, rushed over to Catherine's aid, with Brass leading the way. The two of them tried to lift the suspect off Catherine, but his struggles and brute strength were almost too much for them to handle.  
  
He had managed to land a punch on Catherine's shoulder, and slammed her onto the floor hard, trashing her about like a rag doll. By the time the others, with Warrick's help, had managed to restrain the suspect, Catherine was bruised and scratched all over. Brass and Warrick then led off the still protesting suspect in handcuffs.  
  
'You all right, Cath?' Grissom looked at the blonde's large stricken blue eyes and quivering mouth.  
  
'Been better.' She said with a small smile that was meant to reassure him that she was ok.  
  
He covered the distance between them and swept her into his arms for a comforting hug.  
  
Then, to his eternal shock, shame and embarrassment, tears dripped from his eyes onto her hair. He figured later that it must have been the shock of seeing her being attacked right before his very eyes.  
  
He wished he could fall between the cracks in the floor! He couldn't remember the last time he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He never cried, not even when his father passed away, because grown men don't cry. Especially Gil Grissom. They coped at all costs. They kept their feelings bottled inside and went toe-to-toe with the whole world before they would allow anything to break them. This philosophy had worked well for Grissom throughout his years as a CSI. Little did he know that a 5'6" blonde would break through his defenses. To cause the brick wall he had erected to keep the world out to come crashing down.  
  
'Jeez, Catherine, the things you do to me,' he muttered, trying to get a grip on his emotions.  
  
'I'm sorry,' she said, and he realized that she was sniffling into his shirtfront. And shaking like a leaf.  
  
Blinking furiously, he wrapped his arms more firmly around her. Seeming to decide that they were superfluous at the moment, the other members of the team who came to check on Catherine backed out of the room.  
  
'It's over, Catherine,' Grissom murmured unsteadily as he stroked her hair.  
  
She hiccuped softly and buried her face against his chest, and for a while there were no need for words. It was enough that he was holding her. Enough that he could run his hand up and down her spine and know she was in one piece. It was enough for her to know that he was there for her, like all the times he was there for her after Eddie took a swing or two at her. When the suspect had attacked her, all those bad memories had come flooding back.  
  
Eventually she grew calmer and lifted her head to shoot an embarrassed glance his way. 'Sorry, pretty pathetic huh?'  
  
His gaze scoured her face. He saw the beginning of a bruise on her forehead and there were several rather red marks and scratches on her arms where the suspect had manhandled her.  
  
'I'd like to kill that guy.'  
  
'Come on Griss, he made a mistake, and I know what that's like. You start out with something small and before you know it, things have snowballed out of control, and it's too late to put a stop to them.'  
  
'Still, he should have known better than to attack a CSI, especially you.'  
  
She drew a finger over his mouth. 'The way you are carrying on, anyone would think that you cared about me,' she teased with a laugh.  
  
'Jeez, woman, I love you!'  
  
She stared at him, her eyes wide blue pools of shock, while the words bounced off the stark walls of the room and ricocheted back to haunt him. 'What did you say?'  
  
Pretty shaken himself, he stared right back. Having this conversation take place in an interrogation room hardly fit his idea of romantic ambience, but the moment was right, and he'd put off baring his soul long enough. 'I love you,' he repeated sheepishly.  
  
He kind of thought that she'd throw her arms around him and tell him that she loved him too. After all, the others had been telling him that she definitely had been implying it. Instead, she put a safe six feet of space between them. 'No, you don't. Not really. You're just grateful and relieved that I am not hurt.'  
  
Outside, a collective gasp was heard. The other CSIs had just been dealt with a few shocking revelations. First, their boss, seemingly unfeeling, had declared his love. Secondly, the woman whom they expected to react with joy, had turned him down flat! What was going on? 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I hope my story lives up to your expectations! Short intermediate chapter here. Couldn't really think.  
  
'Oh, I'm a lot more than just that!' He shoved himself off the chair and stalked her across the room. 'Out of the blue, I was confronted by the very real possibility that I could lose you.'  
  
He swallowed, afraid his emotions were going to make an ass of him again. 'I couldn't handle it Catherine. It's as simple as that. So, maybe you're right, and I don't love you. But if that's the case, then please explain to me why I didn't want to wake up tomorrow knowing you might not be part of my world anymore.'  
  
A tentative knock on the door spared her from having to answer. ' If you feel up to it Ms. Willows, we'd like to get a statement from you,' the detective who poked his head around the door asked.  
  
'Of course.' She swayed across the room with that inbred elegance that had captivated Grissom from the first. 'Go back to work, Griss,' she said, over her shoulder as she walked out of the room, 'I'll be fine.'  
  
'Like hell, you will!' He caught up with her in three strides flat, oblivious to the three CSIs lurking in the corner, trying to avoid being noticed. 'I'm taking you home when you're done, and that is not something that is up for discussion,' Grissom said in a loud and stern voice so unlike him that the other CSIs were rooted to the spot. Catherine, however, just walked off, giving no indication that she had heard him.  
  
'Whoa, when the boss man does things, he doesn't do it in half measures huh?' Nick said with a shake of his head.  
  
'Yeah, what on earth is he doing coming all authoritative on her? He should know that it wouldn't work. Never did.' Sara said sadly.  
  
'Hey, cut the guy some slack would you? You never know what's going to happen with those two. Like the fact that Griss would actually announce his feelings! Man, that was a classic! But that room was absolutely one of the worst places to express it!'  
  
The others nodded at Warick's comment. It was true. They had never thought that Grissom would ever work up the courage to tell his co-worker of his feelings for her, much less blurt it out like that. They just had to wait and see how the show played itself out.  
  
*** A bit sappy and unlike Grissom huh? Sorry, but I am a romantic at heart and I believe that when the right person comes along, everyone can be romantic! ;p *** 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, thank you for all the reviews. If I may say so, please be patient if you want to know whether Catherine feels the same way as Grissom. All will be revealed.. in the next chapter .. or two! ;) By the way, I tried to get this up sooner, but ff.net didn't allow me to. Internal server error! Grr!  
  
As soon as Catherine's statement had been recorded, Grissom marched Catherine off to his Tahoe. He didn't allow her to speak, just grabbed her arm and led her to his car, strapping her in. She had not argued, a fact that Grissom was very glad of, as he knew he could never win an argument with her. He knew however, that she had gone with him without argument as she was exhausted, not that she would ever admit it.  
  
As he drove her back to her house, Catherine carelessly brushed aside the concern heaped on her by Grissom. She sounded carelessly sophisticated, to try to maintain the image that she created at work - untouched, remote, in control. But Grissom, knowing her as well as he did, knew that she was pretty shaken up by the close encounter in the interrogation room.  
  
As she took her shower, Grissom prepared a simple stir-fry and set up the meal in the living room. He rejected the idea of a proper sit-down meal at the table in favor of something more intimate. He wanted her close enough to touch. Wanted to be able to thread his fingers through her hair. Wanted to be able to hold her and tell her that when he'd said that her loved her, he'd meant it.  
  
As he waited for her, Grissom paced the floor nervously. Something about her had changed ever since Eddie died. She'd slowly but surely withdrawn from everything around her, especially him. He knew that he had deserved her withdrawal, as he had been so caught up with his own hearing problems and had pushed her away when she tried to get close.  
  
After she found out about his condition, she had tried to help him, showed concern that he was grateful for, but yet he held her at arm's length. Since then, there had been a subtle change in their relationship. They were no longer as close as they once were. No more leisurely-shared breakfasts, no more heart to heart talks.  
  
When Eddie had died, Grissom had refrained himself from giving in to the urge to take Catherine into his arms and comforting her. Instead, he had watched from afar as she looked to others for comfort. He knew that she took Eddie's death hard and had problems coping, yet he still held back. He wasn't there for her when she needed him most. Now, it seemed that she had taught herself not to need him anymore. Somehow, that knowledge hurt Grissom.  
  
The sound of her footsteps had him spinning around to find her standing illuminated by the light from the foyer, and if he'd thought her beautiful before, he found her breathtaking now.  
  
Her hair hung loose in a smooth pale curve, with a few strands falling over her forehead to hide the beginning of a spectacular bruise. The outfit she had put on, a simple cotton dress the color of her eyes, clung to her with enviable familiarity.  
  
She walked towards him, preceded by the faintest smell of her shampoo, and allowed him to take her hands. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way, to crush her in his arms and never let go.  
  
But it was as if she'd surrounded herself with an invisible shield, one which dared him to get past, and he had to settle for giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead, then letting her go.  
  
'You know Gil, I'm starting to wonder why you're here in my house and doing all this when you should be at work,' Catherine said as she took in the simple meal he had prepared.  
  
'Well, as your friend, I thought you might like some company.'  
  
'Are you my friend? I don't think so. Where have you been the past few months when I could really have used a friend? You ran away, avoided me like the plague. You Gil Grissom, have no right to deserve the title of being my friend.'  
  
He drew in a long breath and took a turn about the room before answering. ' I know I haven't been the best of friends lately, but today's incident has awakened me to the fact that you are more important to me than my work. Or maybe it's that I've finally got my priorities in the right order.'  
  
'I don't believe priorities change that quickly. I think you are overreacting to an unfortunate incident and that you'll wake up tomorrow morning wishing you hadn't behaved quite so impulsively.'  
  
'Catherine, I may have chosen the wrong time to tell you about my feelings, but that doesn't mean that I don't mean it! What do I have to do to get you to believe me? I love you Catherine Willows! ' Grissom said passionately. 


	4. Chapter 4

'That's it Grissom! I can't take it anymore. Why don't you just disappear! Eddie used to say he loved me too! Every time we made love! Look where it took us! So how do you expect me to believe you? ' Catherine screamed at Grissom in frustration.  
  
'Are you saying that you want me to leave you alone? Is that what you really mean?'  
  
'Yes. No. Oh god, I don't know!'  
  
Grissom could see that Catherine was getting very worked up. He knew that she had gone through a very eventful day and the strain was starting to show. She was starting to shiver with emotion as she stood there in front of him.  
  
'Oh Cath,' Grissom said as he walked towards her.  
  
'Don't Gil, please, don't. Don't touch me.' Catherine said, backing away from him, her deep blue eyes pleading with him to understand.  
  
'Cath!' Grissom said in concern.  
  
'Gil, please, I beg you, just leave me alone!'  
  
'Catherine, you're not well and I just want to take care of you.'  
  
'Don't worry Gil, I've been taking care of myself for years. I can take care of myself just fine.'  
  
'Damn it Catherine, why don't you just let me take care of you?' Grissom said with a raised voice as he began to lose his patience. Whoever said that love was wonderful sure never met or fell in love with a woman as stubborn as Catherine Willows.  
  
'I can take care of myself, I told you already! Besides, it's none of your business!'  
  
'None of my business!' Grissom spluttered. 'You really want me out of here don't you? You just can't wait to see the back of me! Or is this your way of telling me that you don't love me?'  
  
At that, Catherine's head jerked up. For the first time since their confrontation, she looked directly at him and he saw that her eyes were heavy with unshed tears.  
  
'What if I say that I want us to erase the nightmare of the past few months, and start out over again with a clean slate?' Grissom said gently, not wanting to spook her.  
  
She sighed so deeply, her entire body quivered. 'And what if, next week, or next month, or next year, you change your mind?'  
  
He reached out and cupped her face. ' I love you, do you hear? Until tonight, I couldn't bring myself to admit that, and I won't be repeating the words now if I didn't know them to be true.'  
  
'Oh, I'd like to believe you!' she cried. 'Heaven knows, I've waited long enough for you to say them.'  
  
'So, what's the problem?'  
  
Just as she opened her mouth to answer, his cell rang.  
  
The next chapter is the last, and it is rather short, so don't get your hopes up too high! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Didn't get much reviews for the last chapters, think I have lost some readers for leaving them hanging for too long huh? Anyway, thanks for all those who had read and reviewed. This is the last chapter and will answer the question that you have been asking since chapter 1. Does she LOVE him? Well, read to find out!  
  
*****  
  
After nearly taking Nick's head off for disturbing him over a simple matter, Grissom ended the conversation abruptly and turned to face Catherine. 'So, what's the problem?' he repeated.  
  
She shook her head, looking almost dazed. 'It's too sudden. Too much to take in at once. I'm all in sixes and sevens inside.' She stepped further away from him and spread out her hands as if warding off an attack.  
  
'It would be so easy to give in to my feelings, to accept what you're telling me and forget all the hurt and misunderstandings that's gone before. But I know in my heart that would be a mistake. I don't want anything to harm our friendship Griss. We were doing just fine before all this blew up in our faces. Why can't we just go back to the way we were?' she said pleadingly.  
  
Once he'd set his mind on a specific goal, Grissom went after it with single-minded concentration and could no more fathom her waffling at this stage of their relationship than he pretended to understand the complicated workings of the female mind.  
  
What he did next was as much a shock to him as to her. Unable to stand it any longer, Grissom walked over to Catherine and did the one thing that he had wanted to do for years, ever since he realized how much her wanted her. He kissed her on the lips, hard.  
  
At the first touch of his lips on hers, Catherine struggled, but his arms were holding her tight. Then, she stopped struggling and gave in to the pleasant sensation of the kiss, and the man that was kissing her. It was a totally new sensation, something that she had never felt before with any other man. Perhaps this was the indication that this was the real thing?  
  
After they broke apart, each breathing heavily, she simply stared at his serious, summer-blue eyes, his wonderful, unforgettable face, not saying anything. Then, the tears started falling.  
  
'Don't cry darling, please?' His hands were stroking her back and leaving trails of tenderness in their wake.  
  
'Come on, I think you've had enough for a day. Time for bed.' He said as he led her towards her room.  
  
Before leaving her to change and get ready for bed, he looked at her searchingly. 'I'm sorry if I was a little forward just now. It was rather ungallant of me to take advantage of you like that.'  
  
She gave him a weak smile and walked over to him. 'I don't mind, in fact I think it brought me to my senses, to realize what I was missing. Just like sleeping beauty, I needed to be brought back to life, by the man that loves me, and ' she paused, looking at him with something akin to shyness before continuing, ' whom I love in return.'  
  
He gave a groan of delight and pulled her into his embrace. His lips closed over hers with such sureness and passion that all the dark, terrible doubts she'd entertained about their relationship over the past months sank into oblivion.  
  
The most unique and glorious thing was not the love that they had for each other, but the trust that they had forged from all the tears and misery- not just in the moment but in tomorrow and all the long lovely years that stretched ahead.  
  
*** THE END *** 


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